The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

It's really nice to have an entire lineup booked so early, but it also limits the speculatory discussion (always a fun part of the Marathon experience) somewhat. And the Marathons have always been so much more than what takes place from Noon to Noon on that special weekend twice a year. They're also about the community of like-minded (and sometimes not like-minded) demented film fans who congregate in line, who engage in spirited discussion here and on the Facebook page, and who have formed lasting friendships that go far beyond the Marathon's rotation of the planet.

So we've decided to institute a new feature here on the Forum: a Question of the Week that will hopefully lead to some interesting discussions leading up to the 666th Annual SHOCK AROUND THE CLOCK. We'll try to post one per week leading up to the event on October 18th.

This week's question? What keeps you coming back to the Marathons? What part (or parts) or them enabled the Great Marathon Machine to really get its hooks into you, turning you into a devoted member of our cinema cult? Why do you find it impossible to tear yourself away from these events? And for some of you, what motivates you to travel great distances just to come back each year?

I'll throw in my two cents downthread, but for now, the floor is yours.

I'll get this ball started...

Personally, one of my favorite things about the marathons that I have enjoyed since my first one way back in the 1980s was the elements that take place outside of the films themselves. Yes, the community atmosphere is (mostly) awesome, and the movies are usually pretty great. But it's the stuff that rolls before the films - the trailers, shorts, cartoons, bumpers, snack bar intros - that have always made it a complete experience for me.

After all, without all this, how would anyone know about YoGorilla?

That's four questions. Should I answer one each over the next four weeks?

Also, can all of my answers be phrased in the form of a rant?

I've been obsessed with all kinds of movies for almost as long as I can remember, but I only found out about the marathons about 3-4 years ago. Since then I've looked forward to them each year, and I've attended whenever I could make the trip. It's like a mini-vacation for me. I attend primarily for the experience of seeing a number of classics all at once in a theater setting - there are so few repertory screenings within driving distance (the Athena Cinema, which is only an hour away from me, is the only other theatre I can think of that schedules older films somewhat regularly). Seeing 2001 on a big screen a few years ago was a great experience - no one riffed, thankfully - as well as The Exorcist, Dr. Strangelove, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and others. Each year I keep hoping I can convince other fellow film fanatics from my hometown to make the trip with me, but so far it's just been myself and my sister. This year's lineup sounds like the best since I started attending (The Shining, The Wicker Man, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Invisible Man, Nosferatu, Demons and Tenebrae - and even the premieres sound really good), so I'm hoping that perhaps this year I'll finally convince someone else to tag along.

-S.

I think it's the combination of everything that the Marathons offer. Premieres, classics, obscurities, shorts, cartoons, trailers, etc. There's nothing else quite like it. It's the anticipation and excitement of the premieres as well as the familiarity of seeing classics on the big screen. Take one of those elements away and it wouldn't be the same.

I wasn't a Marathoner in the Drexel North days, so I can't compare. But I walk out of each marathon gorged by the insanity of all kinds of cinema, and I can't ask for more than that. There's also the level of showmanship and passion that Joe and Bruce and everyone involved puts into each marathon. Keeping expectations reasonable is admittedly something I do well - I don't expect every film that's shown to blow me away. I do expect each film to be interesting on some level, and they generally are.

I just turned 45 this weekend, and my obsession with film is starting to wane a bit (how many movies can a person see, anyway?) as time goes on and Hollywood repeats itself endlessly. But I'm always glad there's a marathon twice a year to enjoy, especially now. I used to take them for granted, but now it's the film event of the year for me.

I'm going to sound like a broken record here, but it's sorta the whole shebang. My initial attraction -- I'm on year 10 of attendance I think -- was the movie lineup. That still is the number one draw for me. I always have my mental list of what I'd like to see (and a few of those make it every year) but I quickly found I'm more intrigued by the titles I haven't seen (often a few I never even heard of -- Night of 1,000 Cats?). It's an educational experience. A fun, smelly educational experience.

Joe and Bruce do an excellent job year-in and year-out programing this bad boy. That isn't to say every choice is a home run (booo Werewolf vs. the Vampire Women!) but they get the concept of pacing and variety and that leads to a consistently diverse and interesting viewing experience. Elsewhere around these message board parts there was talk of marathons where the lineup is a mystery -- you just buy a ticket and go. I wouldn't trust anyone to program such a thing, but I'd trust Joe and Bruce.

It's informed who I am as a movie consumer (not just horror) and now when I'm mulling over what to watch in the lead-up to the real marathon, I'm much more likely to seek out something pre-80s or something foreign than I ever was prior to my pre-marathon life.

But the whole experience is generally a great one for me. There's always a few nits to pick, but the movies, the camaraderie with friends (and strangers), the ample coffee (usually) and those delicious ads for Castleberry pulled pork keep me coming back.

My first marathon was the "Nightmare at Studio 35" in 2003 (I was going to film school in Athens). I moved back to Ohio (Cincinnati) in time to make it to the "Two-Headed" marathon in 2007, and then every "Shock around the Clock" from 2009 to this year.

What attracted me to that first marathon was the novelty of a real marathon in a theater. There wasn't anything like this anywhere where I grew up (eastern Iowa), but as a life-long monster/horror fan I'd always wished there had been. This seemed like the kind of thing you move to the "big city" for and I was really excited. I didn't know what to expect really, other than a bunch of horror movies -- what I got was a fully decorated theater full of manic fans, theater staff in costume, wild films I'd never seen and plenty of old favorites (and even a late night appearance by George Romero!)

Previous posters have already said the same things that have kept me coming back -- great line-ups/programming, the non-feature film content (the trailers are a feature unto themselves)..but I think the thing that means the most can be summed up with my favorite memory of that first marathon:

The trailer for The Re-animator started to play, and the crowd applauded.

Not just a few polite claps either -- whistles, howls, cheers --

If watching a video at home is like listening to an album, and seeing a movie in a theater is like going to a concert -- then the marathon is Woodstock. How could I not come back every year?

_________________
Can your heart stand the raw, living terror that is The Tomb of the Undead?!

This sort of thing gets into your blood. I've been enjoying the "larger-than-life" experience of cinema since I was old enough to walk down the street to the Dabel Cinema and catch Star Wars and 2001:A Space Odyssey.

It used to be that the opportunity to catch a rare or classic film on the big screen was my primary motivation. But these days, with so many smaller theaters struggling to stay alive and turning toward repertory fare that's actually more common than you would think. These days it's mostly the audience and the friends I'm with that make all the difference.

Plus, y'know, the fact that I'm friends with the organizers.

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David A. Zecchini; Creature of the Wheel, Lord of the Infernal Engines
"Damnati Im Ludum" (VitruvianZeke@att.net)

Short answer: the past. Yep, for as much as I stump for the idea of the Marathons always been forward thinking and not beholden to the old days, there's no denying that my initial Marathon experiences remain one of my main motivators. As I've said so many times before, going to my first Marathon (the 1993 IT CAME FROM THE DREXEL NORTH) was literally a life-changing experience. Here was the home I never knew I was looking for. It was the place that turned me from someone who loved movies up 'til that point into someone for whom films are embedded in my DNA. And it introduced me to a large, crazy, passionate crowd that became family.

And the environment was part and parcel of that newly discovered passion. The Drexel North was the perfect place for these events: a one screen, 800-seat theater whose funky vibe might not have totally worked for a mainstream audience, but which was perfect for the Marathons. I don't get misty about buildings, but every time I drive past what was the Drexel North, I get a little sad. It was such a great place, and losing it created a wound that still hasn't fully been healed. But it's not coming back until I win the Mega Millions, so we have to do what we can.

But in a way, losing the North motivated me to a massive extent. I can sum up so much of my programming and planning philosophy as trying to rekindle at least some of that magic I felt in my limited time in the Drexel North. That's not to say that all of our events are just retreads of the old Drexel North days. Pure nostalgia generally kills. But I've never forgotten what a powerful experience those first Marathons I attended were (especially for a 16 year-old kid like I was), how they turned me onto so many different types of films, how they artistically inspired me, how they introduced me to some of my best friends in this life. And Bruce and I always hope that if we can indeed rekindle some of that powerful magic and pass it on to a new generation (or to remind an older generation of what we once had), that we're doing our jobs well.

Okay, so set the Drexel North aside. What hooked me past that? What keeps me doing these things? It sounds corny, but it's the people. In the weeks leading up to each Marathon, I get very geeked up for the lineup. But if I was watching that lineup in a theater with 20 other people instead of 200-300, I'd be much less enthusiastic about the Marathons. It's that same communal experience that I keep bringing up that keeps me energized, both as a programmer and as an audience member.

I've been going since the Third Nightmare at Studio 35 with guest Joe Bob Briggs. I just read about the horror marathon in The Other Paper. Got off working third shift at the Reynoldsburg Walgreens and head over there. it was great. Seeing Joe Bob doing the drive in totals for Carrie. Then commented about screening I Drink Your Blood without I Eat Your Skin. Calling it heresy. I was hooked.

I quite enjoy the Studio 35 era with guests and actual premieres. Miss those days.

I go back every time to see great horror films. Watch a movie that I haven't seen before. See brand new "prints" of films. Watching cheesy trailers.

The Marathons get me out of the RUT the life tries so desperatly to keep you in. Two weekend out of every year I look forward to sleep deprivation and marathon movie madness.

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"If you have GHOSTS you have Everything" - Papa Emeritus II GHOST B.C.

I attend for the movies but stay for he Castleberry BBQ Beef sandwiches...which I found out last year was just sloppy joes (sigh)...

I attend every year because this is my favorite holiday...it's nice to see, rift and "Oh Gawd" every movie worth seeing, rifting, and oh gawding. the care and appreciation J & B put into event makes it that much more special.

Every year I get more excited for Shock Around the Clock than any other day of the year. The day Joe and Bruce announce the line-up I feel like a kid on Christmas morning every year. I love the fact that for just one day a year like-minded people like myself can get together and enjoy an array of horror selections. I love that every year there is at least one film I haven't seen so its helped me broaden my horror horizons. I love the random rolls of trailers before the films and sometimes the witty banter when I print is screwed up. Every year I am first in line at the Laughing Orge to get my ticket. Needless to say, I am just a horror fanboy.

For me, it's the unexpected things that happen. This can be a movie that takes me by surprise and which I unexpectedly really enjoy, like Timecrimes, Safety Not Guaranteed, or Candyman. It can also be something that happens in the crowd, the lobby, or out in the street in the middle of the night: a joke, a conversation, a contest entrant. Going to a normal theater for a normal movie showing, or putting on a movie and sitting on your couch, you pretty much know exactly what the experience is going to be. But when I head to the Marathons, I never know what to expect or what crazy stories or new favorites I might have by the time I head home 24+ hours later.

And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning
To be done with all this measuring of truth.
An eye for an eye
A tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die.

I just go for the Nick Cave music.